In the Darkness
by thisbridgeismine
Summary: The first time I notice her, she's wearing a skimpy skirt and revealing shirt, she is at the park and the sky is already dark.
1. Paper Lunch Bags

Disclaimer: If I did, I wouldn't be here.

A/N: All mistakes are mine. Mature content implied.

* * *

><p>The first time I notice her, she's wearing a skimpy skirt and revealing shirt, she is at the park and the sky is already dark. I'm on my way home but instead I find myself stationing my car a block away unable to divert my gaze. It takes me a few minutes to realize that her face is familiar but I cannot place the where or when to her blonde hair and blue eyes. She has her arms wrapped around her small body, insufficiently barricading herself from the cold. When an old beat up car pulls up next to her and she gets in, I feel my stomach drop at the realization. She looks so young. I turn on my car and continue home feeling awful without understanding why.<p>

* * *

><p>When I finally recognize her, I'm sitting across from Spencer and Aria who are engaged in a discussion on some art festival. I see a flash of blonde hair in my peripheral vision. It takes me a while to recognize her in this attire. Tight fitting jeans and a nice blouse, I can't help but admire her body but when I realize what I'm doing I feel self-disgust that I'm just like the men that pick her up. I watch her sit on a table at the end of the cafeteria by herself. She grabs and apple from her bag and starts to eat it slowly. I frown at the thought that, that might be the only thing she can afford. By the time the bell rings I realize that I've been staring at her for ten minutes straight.<p>

* * *

><p>It's only after I recognize her that I notice she is in a couple of my classes. I observe her appearance, though curvaceous she is still rather skinny. I become aware of the dark circles under her eyes and how she always looks tired. When it comes to lunch she eats minimally if she eats at all and she is always alone.<p>

* * *

><p>That week I find myself in the same spot across from the park watching her get into different cars. I feel a pull in my stomach begging me to do something, anything. But like the first night I drive home feeling empty.<p>

* * *

><p>It's only after a week of staring, of following her that I start to feel like a stalker. By then I know where her locker is and her combination. I feel a strong desire to help her but find myself not knowing how. There is something that draws me to her and I know I won't be able to rest until I help her somehow.<p>

* * *

><p>The next day, I make an effort to wake up early and make two lunches. I fill the other bag with a sandwich, some fruits and other snacks. I arrive at school before any other student and place the bag in her locker. When she walks in to first class instead of her usual stoic expression there is confusion but in her hand she holds a brown paper bag. I watch her as she sits in the back of the class before directing my gaze to the front of the class.<p>

* * *

><p>During lunch I watch in satisfaction as she consumes the entire contents of the bag. She eats every piece with care as if savoring every bite and I vow then to wake up early every morning.<p>

* * *

><p>I find myself wanting to approach her, to befriend her but I already feel like a class-A stalker. When I get home that day and go over my bank account balance and decide that I don't need a new phone. Before I know it I find myself stationed in the same spot with over five hundred dollars in my wallet.<p>

With shaky hands I ignite my car and pull up next to her. I roll the window down as she leans in through. A confuse expression takes over her features before it goes back to a blank look.

I open and close my mouth like an idiot for a minute.

"Well?" She asks with annoyance and I can't help but appreciate the sound of her voice.

"How much?" I squeak out.

She looks incredulous before replying, "Depends on what you want, one hundred to three hundred."

I nod, "Okay."

She opens the door and gets in. I stare at her, finally having her up-close for the first time.

"Are we going to do it here or are you going to find a secluded spot?" The confusion in her eyes betrays the irritation lacing her voice.

I turn on the ignition and begin driving to a near-by hotel. It may not be the best hotel around but it is also not worst. When we arrive I get a room. I give her the key and ask her to wait for me there. She eyes me skeptically as she takes the key. I turn my attention to the woman at the front desk who is eyeing me with disgust.

I pay for a meal and taking an envelope with the remaining five hundred I ask the lady to deliver it to the room. With that done I walk back to my car and head home.

* * *

><p>The following day she notices me for the first time. When she walks into to class she stares at me in shock. The shock is quickly replaced by anger and she glares at the window for the remaining of class. I feel nervous not understanding why she is mad at me.<p>

* * *

><p>During lunch I continue to stare at her and when she catches me she glares before turning away. When she takes out her brown lunch bag she stops for a second. She looks at me with renewed anger before shoving something in the bag. She stands up and makes her way towards me. I feel my heart beat in my chest vigorously and even though she is angry I can't help but admire how beautiful she really is.<p>

"I'm not your fucking charity case." She growls out and throws the bag at me and walks away.

"What the hell was that?" I hear Spencer and Aria begin to question me but I ignore them as I watch her retreating figure. I open the bag to see a bunch of bills shoved in there. Anger sets in that all my effort and help is being turned away.

"I'll explain later." I tell them as I grab my stuff and with determination follow the blonde.

I catch up to her and grab her by the arm. "Why are you being like this?"

She yanks her arm away from me, "The last thing I need is pity."

"It's not pity. I'm trying to help you." I argue back.

"Well, keep your help to yourself." She spits out and turns to walk away.

I grab her arm again and slam her against the wall, pinning her with my body.

"You don't want help then, fine." She tries to push me away but I hold her in place. "Then I want your services." Before I can process what I'm doing I crash my lips into hers. I begin to kiss her and as I am about to pull back because she's not responding, she begins to move her lips against mine.

I savor the sensation of her lips as all the anger dissipates. I put my hands on her waist pushing my body as close as I can to hers. I don't fight the butterflies in my stomach because why would I want to fight something that feels so good.

When we pull away to breath I make an effort to memorize her swollen lips and glazed over eyes. The image makes want to kiss her again but then I remember where we are. As I place the wrinkled brown bag in her hands I lean in and whisper, "In my opinion that was easily worth five hundred." Taking advantage of her confuse state I place a gentle kiss on her lips before walking away my heart thumping with joy and anxiety in my chest.

I don't know where I found the courage to do that but I'm glad I did.

* * *

><p>That night she's not in her usual spot and I can't decide if I'm worried about where she might be or happy that she's not here.<p> 


	2. Hand Jobs

Disclaimer: If I did, I wouldn't be here.

A/N: All mistakes are mine. Mature content implied.

* * *

><p>The following day she ignores me, refusing to meet my gaze throughout class. But her disregard for my presence means nothing when I see her carrying the paper bag. She holds it carefully as if it is something so dearly and valuable to her, it fills me with satisfaction but also a sense of guilt. How easy and quickly it is for us to alienate ourselves from something so basic as a meal.<p>

Spencer and Aria have become suspicious of my behavior especially after the incident during lunch. I brush it off as a misunderstanding but they don't believe me.

* * *

><p>That day I follow her in my car. As she wonders around town through the day, spends her evening in the park, doing homework and eating. As it starts to get dark she looks at her watch and startled she leaves. Where she ends up I would have expected yet it doesn't make it an easy sight when she lines up at a woman's shelter. I consider leaving but something holds me to that spot and I watch her as she waits nervously.<p>

She never makes it in and a few people are forced to go and find shelter somewhere else. She grabs her bags and with a defeated posture she makes her way down the dark street. I start up my car and follow her, knowing that I cannot let her leave.

"Hey." I call out to her as I pull up next to her. She looks at me surprised before glaring at me and making her way down the road furiously.

But I don't give up, "Do you need a place to stay?"

She stops, shoulders tense, she faces me, "Why are you following me?"

And I don't know. It'd be easier to just walk away and go back to being ignorant, but I can't.

"Well?" She crosses her arms in annoyance.

"I just want to help you." I tell her honestly.

"Why?" Her tone is a bit softer this time but her body is still defensive.

"I don't know. I just do."

"Well there are a lot of people that could use your help." She mumbles and begins to walk away again.

I huff in exasperation. Who knew helping someone could be so hard. I drive next to her as I call out to her once more, "Okay then, if you don't want my help then I want your services."

"So that's what you're really after?" She asks with resentment.

"No, just a means to an end." She stares at me puzzled.

I open my wallet to check how much cash I have, "What can I get for a hundred?"

"A hand job." She replies defiantly.

I nod slowly while processing the information while trying to see how I'm going to play this out. "Okay." I grin excitedly as an idea comes to me. She stares at me with confusion, probably expecting me to back out.

I make my way home and park in the driveway. She looks startled at our destination. "Why are we here?"

I smile at her, "I don't think a hand job will be too comfortable in my car. I prefer my bed. Come on." I grab her hand and drag her to my house and she follows me reluctantly. We walk in to see my dad sitting on the couch.

I decide to make our presence known instead of hiding, "Hey dad, my friend's going to sleep over is that okay?"

Confusion crosses his face when he notices that it isn't Aria or Spencer. "Okay." He concurs. "Don't stay up too late."

"Okay." I reply quickly and lead the blonde to my room before my dad can question us. I feel his wary gaze follow us up the stairs. When we enter my room, I close the door and lock it. Last thing I want is my mom walking in on us.

"So this is your room?" She asks with a hint of sadness.

"No, it's my parents' room. I figured it'd make things a little more adventurous." I tell her in a serious tone.

She looks panicked, not catching on to my teasing. "I'm kidding." I smile at her and she finally relaxes.

"Well then let's get started before it gets late we do have school tomorrow." I take of my shirt and throw it on the bed.

I observe the fear that flashes across her face for a second before it's replaced with cold indifference. I make my way to the bedside drawer and grab the tube there before handing it to her.

She holds it in confusion, "What is this?"

"Ben-Gay." I reply nonchalantly.

"I know but why are you giving me this?" She holds the tube up.

"I have this pain on my back." She stares at me like I just grew a second head and I can feel my smile grow wider. "Oh, did you want the money first?" I ask her as I reach for my purse.

"What are you playing at?" She growls losing her patience and tosses me the tube.

"Well I am paying you for a hand job and the only job your hands have tonight is getting this kink out of neck." I toss her the tube back. I watch her as she watches my body with a look of admiration and I'm grateful for never giving up on swimming otherwise I'd feel self-conscious right now. I move to the bed and lay on my front.

The silence that follows makes me think that I might have gone about this the wrong way. I debate if I should apologize and try to remedy the situation. But before I can make up my mind I feel the cold cream make contact with the skin on my back followed by the feeling of soft and warm hands gently spreading the ointment across my back. Her hands retreat almost instantly and I fear she is lamenting her actions.

"You should probably take of your bra." She asks timidly.

"Oh." Is the only response I manage to get out; I take off my bra careful not to flash her.

When she resumes I find myself letting out a content sigh. The way her hands are touching me is not only relaxing me but also igniting my nervous system and sending sparks through my whole body. Or maybe it's just the ointment. I feel her hands move from my shoulders to my lower back and it takes all my will to suppress a moan. But after a few minutes I don't bother to hold back and find myself embarrassed when I let out a sigh in pleasure.

"I'm not hurting you, am I?" She asks concerned.

"No." I croak out. "It feels really good." And for the next few minutes I relish in the sensation of her soft hands and find myself asleep before I know it.

* * *

><p>The next day to say it was awkward is an understatement. I woke up to find blonde her splayed in the pillow next to me. The half of the covers pulled up to her waist revealing the back of her skin through a thin tank-top. I find myself wanting to reach and touch her but decide against it. I notice that my half, of the covers, are up to my shoulders and that my chest is bare. Feeling embarrassed that I fell asleep half naked I resolve to shower and change.<p>

By the time I'm out of my cold shower I wake her up and offer her to use my bathroom.

I leave her to shower as I made my way down for breakfast. My mom kept on glancing at me as she made pancakes. She obviously wanted to say something but didn't know how. She was still coming around to me being gay. My dad would only grin at me as he read the paper. By the time she came down, my mom had long gone to her job at the police station.

"Hi." She greets us shyly when she walks into the kitchen.

My dad stands up immediately and with a smile holds out his hand, "Good morning. Wayne fields, it's a pleasure to meet you."

She takes his hand with a reciprocated smile and replies, "Hanna Marin, it's a pleasure to meet you sir. I want to thank you for letting me stay here last night."

Hanna, it fits her, a beautiful name for a beautiful girl. Ridiculous that until know I didn't know her name.

"Please call me Wayne and my daughter's friends are always welcomed here."

We eat in a comfortable silence and my dad hands us each a lunch bag before we leave, to which Hanna thanks him greatly for. When we get into my car Hanna stares out the window the whole ride and I fear I might have done something to make her mad.

I park my car in the school parking lot but make no move to leave and neither does she. I find myself wanting to talk to her but not knowing what to say. She fidgets with her hands nervously. When she opens the door to leave I feel my heart drop knowing I just lost a chance but to what, I don't know.

Before she closes the door she meets my gaze, "Thank you, Emily." And With that, she's gone.

She knows name and with those three words I feel hope. I'm in high spirits and I'm grinning like an idiot.

* * *

><p>She sits in the same table by herself during lunch and I can't stop starting at her. She occasionally meets my gaze and smiles. I smile back at her before blushing and turning to stare at my barely touched food.<p>

"Okay," Spencer's demanding voice startles me, "What's going on between you and that girl?"

I looked at her wide-eyed knowing I've been anything but discrete. I open my mouth to refute her accusation but Spencer beats me to it.

"And don't say that nothing is going on." she glares accusatorily at me and Aria just observes with curiosity. "The paper bag incident and you've been making googly eyes at her all lunch."

My intention on denying everything dies and I blush and look away.

"Oh my god," Aria exclaims, "you're sleeping with her aren't you?" She looks astonished. Spencer's perplex gaze shifts back and forth between Aria and I.

"I am not." I state with honesty.

Spencer studies me intently before replying, "But you want to."

If possible my cheeks go redder and I rub the back of my neck. "That's not true." I may be attracted to her but sleeping with her, that's too soon. I hardly know her.

"Just be careful she seems kind of shady." Spencer warns me.

"Yeah I heard she sells drugs." Aria states with unease.

"That's not true," I argue feeling bothered by the false accusation. Besides the social stratification of high school I really dislike rumors. "I appreciate the concern but Hanna is my friend and I appreciate if you didn't accuse her of anything without having proof."

They look taken aback by my stiff response and heated glare. I stand up as the bell rings and make my way to class.

* * *

><p>As the final bell rings I make my way outside hopng to catch Hanna before she's gone. Finally catching sight of her blonde hair I make my way to her.<p>

I get straight to the point, "Come to my house tonight."

"I can't keep giving you my services," She frowns at me. "I feel like I'm taking advantage of you."

"That's good 'cause at the moment I'm kind of broke," I smirk at her, "so come over as my friend."

"I don't know." She looks uncomfortable but I cannot let her back on the streets like that.

"Please, my dad loves you." I pout hoping to convince her.

I can tell I'm wearing her down by her body posture but she still seems to contemplate the offer, "Why do you want to help me so much."

"I don't know. I like you and I would love the chance to be your friend." I think about the kiss and start to question my intentions.

"Usually I would avoid someone that has been stalking me for weeks." I blush knowing that what I have been doing is bordering on creep. "But I get the feeling you are being sincere and you probably won't give up."

She smiles sincerely at me and I can help but notice how beautiful she looks.

She caught my attention in the dark but she looks so beautiful in the light.


End file.
